Legendary Le Mans Porsche RSR Turbo is coming to auction

Second-placed overall at Le Mans 24 Hours, and the first of the Porsche turbo race cars, this 911 Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo will be offered alongside a 934 and a 962C

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One of the most important racing cars of all time, the 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo that finished second overall at the 1974 Le Mans 24 Hours, is to be offered at sale by Gooding & Co's Amelia Island, Florida auction on March 9.

Two other highly significant racing Porsches, both successors to the RSR, will also be offered for sale at the same auction: the 1976 Porsche 934 that finished 10th overall at the 1979 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 1990 Porsche 962C raced in the 1990 and 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.1 Turbo

The RSR 2.1 Turbo changed the course of history for Porsche by fundamentally altering the company’s approach to production and racing cars, being the first use of a turbocharged engine in a production-based race car.

This car, R13, was the last of the four examples built for the Martini & Rossi sponsored works team, and the most successful of the RSR Turbos. It became a racing legend when it captured a spectacular second place overall at the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It has been raced by many of the great drivers of the era, including Gijs Van Lennep, Herbert Müller, and George Follmer, and competed at important circuits including Brands Hatch, Watkins Glen, and Daytona.

Once owned by influential California dealer and racer Vasek Polak, it's said to be in 'wonderfully original, well-preserved condition'. It is presented in its original Martini & Rossi colours, one of the all-time great liveries, and is estimated at $6,000,000-$8,000,000.

'The RSR 2.1 Turbo is truly an integral piece of Porsche’s motor sport legacy and its influence can be seen in the company’s subsequent road and racing models,' said David Gooding, president and founder of Gooding & Company.

'This car set the stage for the iconic Porsche 930 and its racing counterpart, the 934. Turbocharged Porsches, like the 962, dominated endurance racing for years. With the marque celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, Porsche is most definitely in the spotlight and on the minds of collectors.'

In fact, two such models are to be offered at the same sale: a 1976 Porsche 934 and a 1990 Porsche 962C.

1976 Porsche 934

The 934, introduced for the 1976 season, was Porsche’s Group 4 GT variant of the all-new turbocharged 930 – a factory-built racer that was nonetheless closely related to its road car counterpart.

This Porsche 934, chassis 930 670 0162, has a decade-long international racing history and a complete, unbroken provenance. Angelo Pallavicini bought the car new and campaigned it at numerous European events before taking the 934 to the US for the 24 Hours at Daytona, where he finished in 10th place overall and fourth in the GTO class.

Since restored and maintained by noted Porsche specialists, it will be eligible for Le Mans Classic, as well as 70th anniversary marque gatherings like the Rennsport Reunion in September 2018. It's estimated to sell for $1,200,000-$1,600,000.

1990 Porsche 962C

Between 1982 and 1987, the Porsche 956 and 962 won Le Mans six times. As well as the factory team cars, Porsche also built 962C cars to sell to privateers, with one of the most notable being Brun Motorsport GmbH.

For the 1990 season, Brun ran two Porsche 962Cs in World Sports Prototype Championship, including the car offered here, chassis 962-160. This 962C was first raced in the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans, in the iconic livery of Spain’s Repsol oil company.

With a shorter tail than the factory works cars, 962-160 outpaced all other competitors and held the lead until just 15 minutes from the end of the race, when the engine failed. It has had just two owners from new, and is eligible for many historic motorsport events, including Historic Group C races and Rennsport Reunion. It's estimated at $1,500,000-$2,000,000.

Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

The famous concours, now in its 23rd year, takes place at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Florida USA on March 9-11. For more details visit the concours website.

The Gooding & Co auction takes place just down the road from the concours, at Racquet Park, Omni Amelia Island Plantation. Preview is on Thursday March 8, and the auction starts at 11am on Friday March 9. The sale includes two significant early Ferraris.